Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a term that broadly describes the many ways by which media providers enforce limitations on the use and distribution of media. There are a number of DRM schemes in use today. For example, Apple Computer® uses a DRM system called FairPlay, to prevent content sold from the iTunes Music Store® from being played on unauthorized devices. Windows Media® DRM is a system, implemented through the Windows Media Player®, which protects audio and visual content. Mobile content providers use the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) DRM system to protect mobile media content. These are only a few of the DRM systems that are in use today.
One difficulty in implementing DRM is the inherent tension between protecting content and providing consumers with the flexibility to manage the content they purchase in a reasonable way. For instance, it is common for DRM systems to limit the playback of content to a single device. This prevents users from engaging in the unauthorized transfer of media files. Yet, there are situations in which it is reasonable for an owner of digital media to transfer files to another device. For instance, a consumer might purchase a song only to find that he or she does not like it. The consumer may want to sell the song to another person, but be prevented from doing so by a DRM system. In another instance, a consumer may purchase a new media player and simply want to move media from an old device to a new device. On the other hand, if a DRM system allows the transfer of rights to other devices, it is possible that unethical users could transfer their rights to new devices while simultaneously retaining the rights on the old devices. In this way, the DRM system would be circumvented.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method that allows a user to transfer digital rights from a first device to a second device while verifying that the digital rights have actually been removed from the first device. Because such a system will necessarily not allow multiple devices to hold the same digital rights, there is no “back up” of the rights so it is important that the rights not be damaged or corrupted during transfer or the rights will be lost to the consumer. Therefore, what is also needed is a system and method that allows a user to transfer digital rights from a first device to a second device while maintaining the integrity of the rights during transfer.